Collection Development Sources and Information, Including Weeding

• This is a hub to ALA's most important collection development links. It may be accessed through search engines or through ALA's site under the Professional Resources: A to Z Index of Topics section. Offers 9 links to ALA information, including links to stranger collections, like maps and genealogy/local historiesThe two big links included in the hub are geared toward larger topics within collection development, including creating a collection for the library and weedingthat collection. If a person is already in the throes of a collection development project, the hub offers forums, as well as a link to an ALA Collection Development wiki.
• Thus far, this tool has been most important to me during my collection development course. We had to fulfill various assignments to build collections and make hypothetical collection decisions, including about weeding. ALA proved to be a good supplementary tool to readings assigned during the class. If I were to ever need to create a collection development or weeding policy, I would brush up using these links, again.
• I initially encountered this tool during my Collection Development course at IU during the Fall of 2010.

• RUSA is the Reference and User Services Association. The association's guidelines page, like ALA, acts as a hub to other links, but also pdfs that are all created and owned RUSA materials. While ALA's links focus on policy, RUSA has links to some other smaller parts of collection development librarians might potentially miss, including helpful hints on creating a bibliography and a book review.
• RUSA was actually an association that came up in multiple classes I took early on in SLIS. RUSA guidelines are very important when it come to creating collection development policies, etc. However, it was not until recently that I happened on to the site thanks to a reading assignment for my cataloging class.
• I was interested in RUSA due to the numerous times I had encountered the association in classes and professional readings. I found the associations website on my own terms.

• The Arizona State Library actually has one of the greatest collection development sites I have seen. However, the weeding section is so comprehensive, I decided to focus on it. The weeding section features multiple sections addressing various aspects of weeding, as well as a bibliography of helpful resources listed at the bottom.
• This tool was helpful to me when I was first looking into weeding with my internship at MCPL. As part of my tenure, I read MCPL's collection development policy, but I didn't feel as if that was enough information about the "why" of weeding and Arizona's information really helped me to understand my role with weeding and hit all of the key points, in supplement with MCPL's policy. While I have the basics down now, I can see myself recommending this resource to those who are unfamiliar in the future.
• I found this tool when browsing online a year ago. I actually remember it as being part of the Texas State Library's site, so it actually took me a little time to find the information this time around.

Other Helpful Sites:

• Morton Grove Public Library: http://www.webrary.org/inside/colldevintro.html
• IUPUI:http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/collections/special/psl/collections
• Evansville-Vanderburgh Public Library:http://www.evpl.org/aboutus/policies/materialselection.aspx
• Walter E. Helmke Library, Fort Wayne, IN: http://www.lib.ipfw.edu/2909.0.html
• Monroe County Public Library:http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/general_info/collection_policy2.html